Lost in the Fog by James De Mille

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He was puzzled. He did not know in which direction it was best togo. He was at the west end of the island, but could not make outvery well the direction of the sounds. He tried to think whetherthe steamer would pass the island on the north side or the south.He did not know, but it seemed to him that she would certainly goto the north of it. There was no time to be lost, and standingthere to listen did not seem to be of any use, even if hisimpatience had allowed him to do so. Accordingly he hurried backby the way that he had come along the north side of the island.

For some time he ran along through the trees, and at length, inabout fifteen or twenty minutes, he reached the place where thedense underbrush was, by the edge of the cliff. From this point awide view was commanded. On reaching it he looked out, and then upthe bay, towards the Straits of Minas. He could see almost up tothe straits, but no steamer appeared. For a moment he stoodbewildered, and then the thought came to him, that he had mistakenaltogether the steamer's course. She could not be coming down onthe north side of the island, but on the south side. With a cry ofgrief he started back again, mourning over his error, and the timethat he had lost. On reaching the more open wood, he thought thatit would be better to hurry across the island to the south side,and proceeded at once to do so. The way was rough and tedious.Once or twice he had to burst through thickets of alder, andseveral times he had to climb over windfalls. At length, in hisconfusion, he lost his way altogether; he had to stop and think.The shadows of the trees showed him where the south lay, and heresumed his journey. At length, after most exhaustive efforts, hereached a part of the cliff, where a fringe of alders grew sothick, that he was scarce aware that he was at his destination,until the precipice opened beneath him. Here he stood, and,pressing apart the dense branches, he looked out.

There was the steamer, about two miles off, already below where hewas standing, and going rapidly down the bay with the falling tide.

Another cry of grief burst from Tom. Where he was standing hecould see the vessel, but he himself was completely concealed bythe clustering bushes. He now lamented that he had left his firstposition, and saw that his only chance was to have remained there.

To stay where he was could not be thought of. There was scarce achance now of doing anything, since the steamer was so far away;but what chance there was certainly depended on his being in someconspicuous position. He started off, therefore, to the westpoint, where he had watched the schooner for so long a time. Hehurried on with undiminished energy, and bounded over windfalls,and burst through thickets, as before. But in spite of hisefforts, his progress could not be more rapid than it had formerlybeen. His route was necessarily circuitous, and before he couldfind the desired point, many more minutes had elapsed.

But he reached it at last, and there, on the bare rock, springingforward, he waved his hat in the air, and sent forth a piercing cryfor help. But the steamer was now as much as four or five milesaway--too far altogether for his loudest cry to go. His screamsand his gestures did not appear to attract the slightest attention.She moved on her way right under the eyes of the frantic anddespairing boy, nor did she change her course in the slightestdegree, nor did her paddles cease to revolve, but went rollinground, tossing up the foam, and bearing far, far away that boat onwhich poor Tom had rested his last hope.

As for Tom, he kept up his screams as long as he could utter asound. He tore off his coat, and shook it up and down, and wavedit backward and forward. But none of these things were heard orseen. The steamboat passed on, until, at length, even Tom becameconvinced that further efforts were useless.

This last blow was too much. Tom sank under it, and, falling onhis face, he burst into a flood of tears.

Struggling up at length from this last affliction, Tom rousedhimself, and his buoyancy of soul began once more to assert itself.

"Come now, Thomas, my son," said he, as he dried his eyes, "thissort of thing will never do, you know. You're not a baby, my boy;you've never been given to blubbering, I think. Cheer up, then,like a man, and don't make me feel ashamed of you."

This little address to himself had, as before, the effect ofrestoring his equanimity, and he thought with calmness upon hisrecent disappointments.

He saw, by the passage of these vessels, what he had for a timelost sight of, namely, that this island, though uninhabited, wasstill in the middle of a bay which was constantly traversed bysailing vessels and steamboats. The latter ran regularly up tothe Basin of Minas from St. John. As to the former, they wereconstantly passing to and fro, from the large ship down to thesmall fishing vessel. Inhabited countries surrounded him on everyside, between the coasts of which there was a constant communication.If he only kept patient, the time must come, and that, too, beforevery long, when he would be delivered.

In order to secure this delivery, however, he saw that it would benecessary to arrange some way by which he might attract the noticeof passing vessels. On this subject he meditated for a long time.It would be necessary, he thought, to have some sort of a signal insome conspicuous place. Among the drift-wood he might, perhaps, beable to find some sort of a pole or staff which he could set up.One might not be enough, but in that case he could put up two, orthree, or half a dozen.

The next thing to decide about was the choice of a place. Therewas the east end, and the west end--which was the better? The westend, where he was standing, was high; but then it was surrounded bytrees, and unless he could set up a very tall staff, it couldscarcely be noticed. The east end, on the contrary, was lower; butthen it was bare, and any kind of a signal which might be set upthere could hardly fail to attract attention. He could also pileup a heap of drift-wood, and set fire to it, and, by this means, ifa vessel were passing by, he could be certain of securingattention. It did not make much difference which end the signalswere placed upon, as far as referred to the passing of vessels; forall that passed by would go along the island, so that both endswould be visible to them.

As to the signals, he felt confident that he could find a staff,or, if one would not be long enough, several could be fastenedtogether. The coil of rope in the boat would enable him to dothis. The sail would afford material for a flag.

All these plans came to his mind as he stood there; and theprospect of once more doing something which was to help him toescape from his prison drove away the last vestige of his grief.His courage again arose, hope revived, and he burst forth into alight and joyous song. Very different was he now from thedespairing lad who, but a short time before, had been pouring forthhis tears of sorrow; and yet but a few minutes had passed sincethen. The steamer was yet in sight down the bay, but Tom, who hadlately been so frantic in his efforts to attract her attention, nowcast a glance after her of perfect indifference.

And now it was necessary for him to return to the east end of theisland, and look about for the means of putting into execution hisplan for making a signal.

He started off on his return without any further delay. The pathback was as rough and toilsome as the way down had been; but Tomwas now full of hope, and his elastic spirits had revived sothoroughly that he cared but little for the fatigue of the journey.It was traversed at last, and he descended the slope to the placefrom which he had started.

His exploration of the island had been quite complete. It seemedto him to be about a mile and a half in length, and a half a mileor so in width. The east end, where he had first arrived, was theonly place where it was at all desirable to stay.

Immediately on his arrival he examined the boat, and found itsecure. To his surprise it was now about sunset. He had forgottenthe lapse of time. He was hungry; so he sat down, ate his biscuit,drank his water, and rested from the toils of the day.

XVI.

A Sign for the outer World.--A Shelter for the Outcast's Head.--Tom's Camp and Camp-bed.--A Search after Something to vary a toomonotonous Diet.--Brilliant Success.

Tom sat down after his eventful day, and took his evening meal, ashas been said. He rested then for some time. His excessive laborshad fatigued him less than the great excitement which he hadundergone, and now he felt disinclined to exert himself. But thesun had set, and darkness was coming on rapidly; so he rose, atlast, and went over to the drift-wood. Here, after a search ofabout half an hour, he found something which was very well suitedto his purpose. It was a piece of scantling about twenty feetlong, and not very thick; and to this he saw that he could fastenthe pole that he had made up in the woods. These two pieces wouldmake, when joined, a very good flag-staff. These he brought up tothe bank. Then he collected an armful of dry chips and sticks,which he carried over to a spot near where the boat lay. A rockwas there, and against one side of this he built a pile of thechips. He then tried a match, and found that it was quite dry, andlighted it without any difficulty. With this he kindled the fire,and soon saw, with great satisfaction, a bright and cheerful blaze.

He was so delighted with the fire that he brought up a dozen moreloads of wood, which he laid near. Then he drew up the bit ofscantling, and bringing the coil of rope, he cut a piece off, andproceeded to fasten to the scantling the pole which he had procuredin the woods. He did this by winding the rope around in a closeand even wind; and, finally, on concluding his task, he found thatit was bound firmly enough to stand any breeze. It took a longtime to finish this; but Tom had slept late in the morning, and,though fatigued, he was not sleepy. After this he sat down infront of the fire, and enjoyed its friendly light and its genialglow. He kept heaping on the fuel, and the bright flames dancedup, giving to him the first approach to anything like the feelingof comfort that he had known since he had drifted away from theAntelope. Nor was it comfort only that he was mindful of while hewatched and fed the fire. He saw in this fire, as it shone outover the water, the best kind of a signal, and had some hope ofbeing seen and hailed by some passing vessel. In this hope he satup till midnight, looking out from time to time over the water, andexpecting every instant to see the shadow of some approachingvessel.

But midnight came, and Tom at length thought of sleep. The sailhad dried thoroughly through the day; so now he used it once moreas a coverlet, and, folding himself in it, he reclined, as before,against the mossy bank, and slept.

On awaking the next day, he arose and looked around. To his deepdisappointment, he could see nothing. There was a fog over all thescene. The wind had changed, and his old enemy was once morebesieging him. It was not so thick, indeed, as it had been, beinglight and dry, so that the ground was not at all moistened; butstill the view was obscured, so that no vessel could be seen unlessit came within half a mile; and that was rather closer than mostvessels would care to come to his island.

This day was Sunday, and all Tom's plans had to be deferred untilthe following day. However, it was not at all disagreeable to himto get rid of the necessity of work; and, indeed, never before didhe fully appreciate the nature of the Day of Rest. The rest wassweet indeed to his exhausted and overworn frame, and he did not gofar away from his fire. He had found some embers still glowing inthe morning, and had kindled the fire anew from these, withoutdrawing any more upon his precious store of matches. He resolvednow to keep the coals alive all the time, by feeding the fireduring the day, and covering it up with ashes by night.

It was Sunday,--the Day of Rest,--and Tom felt all the blessednessof rest. On the whole, it turned out to be the pleasantest daywhich he had known since he left the schooner. Left now to quietreflection, he recalled the events of the last week, and had moreleisure to feel thankful over the wonderful safety which he had metwith. Even now on the island he was not without his comforts. Hehad food and warmth. So, on the whole, though he had his momentsof sadness, yet the sadness was driven out by cheerfulness. It wasnot all dismal. The words of that poem which is familiar to everyschool-boy rang in his ears:--

"O, Solitude, where are the charms That sages have seen in thy face? Better dwell in the midst of alarms Than reign in this horrible place."

Yet these words were accompanied and counterbalanced by the morepleasing and consoling sentiments of others, which on this dayaccorded better with Tom's mood:--

"There's mercy in every place; And mercy--encouraging thought!-- Gives even affliction a grace, And reconciles man to his lot."

Nothing occurred during the day to disturb the quiet of the island,and Tom went to bed early that night, so as to have a long sleep,and fortify himself for the labors of the morrow. The ashes wereraked carefully round the coals, which, when Tom waked in themorning, were easily kindled again.

He was up early on that Monday morning. He saw, with deepdisappointment, that the fog still covered every thing, and thatthe wind was blowing quite brisk from the south-west, and raisingrather a heavy sea. But he had a great deal to do now, and to thishe turned his attention.

First of all, he had to finish his signal-staff and set it up. Hewas very much troubled about the proper material for a flag. Thecanvas was rather too heavy; but as he had nothing else, he had totake this. He fastened a bit of the rope to the head of the staff,so as to form a loop, and through this he ran a piece which waslong enough to serve for halyards. Thus far he had not used upmore than a quarter of the coil of rope; but he needed all that wasleft for other purposes. The next thing was to set up his staff.To do this required much labor. He had already selected the placewhich seemed most suitable. It was at the extreme point of atongue of land which projected beside the brook, and only a littledistance from his resting-place. Here the ground was soft; andchoosing a sharp stone, he worked diligently for about a couple ofhours, until at length he succeeded in digging a hole which wasabout eighteen inches in depth. Then he fastened ropes to thestaff, where the pole joined it, so that four lines came down farenough to serve as stays. Having done this, he inserted the end ofthe staff in the hole, and thrust in the earth all around it,trampling it in, and beating it down as tight as he could with astone. After this he procured some sticks from the drift-wood,and, sharpening the ends, he secured the stays by fastening them tothese sticks, which he drove into the ground. The staff thenseemed to be as secure as was necessary. It only remained now tohoist up his flag; and this he did without any difficulty, securingit at half mast, so that it might serve unmistakably as a signal ofdistress.

Upon completing this, Tom rested on the mound, and from thatdistance he contemplated the signal with a great deal of calm andquiet satisfaction. It was his own device, and his own handiwork,and he was very proud of it. But he did not allow himself a longrest. There yet remained much to be done, and to this he nowdirected his attention.

He had been thinking, during his last employment, upon thenecessity which he had of some shelter. A plan had suggesteditself which he felt confident that he could carry into executionwithout any very great trouble. The fog that now prevailed, andwhich was far different from the light mist of the previous day,accompanied also, as it was, by the damp south-west wind, made somesort of a shelter imperatively necessary, and that, too, beforeanother night. To pass this night in the fog would be bad enough;but if it should happen to rain also, his situation would bemiserable indeed.

He now set out for the beach, and found, without much difficulty,some pieces of wood which were necessary to his purpose. Bringingthese back, he next looked about for a good situation. There was arock not far from the fire, and in front of this was a smooth spot,where the land was flat, and covered with short grass. On the leftit sloped to the brook. This seemed to him to be the best place onthe island. It was sufficiently sheltered. It was dry, and incase of rain the water would not be likely to flood it. With allthese it also possessed the advantage of being sufficientlyconspicuous to any passing vessel which might be attracted by thesignal-staff. Here, then, Tom determined to erect his place ofresidence.

His first work was to select two long and slender pieces of wood,and sharpen the ends of them. Then he drove each of them into theground in such a way that their tops crossed one another. These hebound fast together. Two other stakes were driven into the ground,and secured in the same way, about six or seven feet off. Anotherlong piece of scantling was then placed so as to pass from one tothe other of the two crossed sticks, so that it rested upon them.This last was bound tight to the crossed sticks, and thus the wholestructure formed a camp-shaped frame.

Over this Tom now threw the sail, and brought it down to the groundon either side, securing it there with pegs. At the back of thecamp a piece of the sail was folded over and secured so as to coverit in; while in front another piece of the sail hung down until itnearly reached the ground. This could hang down at night, and befolded over the top by day. Tom now tore up some sods, and laidthem over the edge of the canvas on each side, where it touched theground, and placed on these heavy stones, until at length it seemedsufficiently protected from the entrance of any rain that mightflow down the roof. His last task consisted in collecting a largequantity of moss and ferns from the woods, which he strewed overthe ground inside, and heaped up at one end, so as to form a softand fragrant bed. When this was accomplished the camp wasfinished.

It had taken a long time, and when at last the work was done, itbegan to grow dark. Tom noticed this with surprise. He had beenworking so incessantly that he was not mindful of the flight oftime, and now the day was done, and the evening was upon him beforehe was aware. But there were other things still for him to dobefore he could rest from his labors. His fire was just flickeringaround its last embers, and if he wished to have a pleasant lightto cheer the solitude and the darkness of his evening hours, itwould be necessary to prepare a supply of fuel. To this heattended at once, and brought up several armfuls of drift-wood fromthe beach. Placing these near the fire, he kindled it up afresh,and flung upon the rising flames a generous supply of fuel. Thefires caught at it, and crackled as they spread through the drywood, and tossed up their forked tongues on high, till in the duskof evening they illuminated the surrounding scene with a pleasantlight. A few more armfuls were added, and then the work for theday was over. That work had been very extensive and veryimportant. It had secured a means of communication with the outerworld, and had also formed a shelter from the chill night air, thefog, and the storm. It was with a very natural pride that Tom casthis eyes around, and surveyed the results of his ingenuity and hisindustry.

The camp opened towards the fire, from which it was not so fardistant but that Tom could attend to it without any very greatinconvenience. The fire shone pleasantly before him as he sat downat his evening repast. As the darkness increased, it threw aruddier glow upon all the scene around, lighting up field and hill,and sending long streams of radiance into the fog that overhung thesea. Tom had prepared an unusually large supply of fuel, thisevening, for the express purpose of burning it all up; partly forhis own amusement, and partly in the hope that it might meet theeyes of some passing navigator. It was his only hope. To keep hissignals going by night and day was the surest plan of effecting aspeedy escape. Who could tell what might be out on the neighboringsea? How did he know but that the Antelope might be somewhere nearat hand, with his companions on board, cruising anxiously about insearch after the missing boat? He never ceased to think that theywere following after him somewhere, and to believe that, in thecourse of their wanderings, they might come somewhere within sightof him. He knew that they would never give him up till theyassuredly knew his fate, but would follow after him, and set othervessels on the search, till the whole bay, with all its shores andislands, should be thoroughly ransacked.

Fortunate was it for him, he thought, that there was so large asupply of drift-wood at hand on the beach, dry, portable, and inevery way convenient for use. Thanks to this, he might nowdisperse the gloom of dark and foggy nights, and keep up a bettersignal in the dark than he could do in the light. Thus the fuelwas heaped on, and the fire flamed up, and Tom sat near, lookingcomplacently upon the brilliant glow.

Thus far, for nearly a week, he had fed on biscuit only; but now,as he ate his repast, he began to think that it was a verymonotonous fare, and to wonder whether it might not be possible tofind something which could give a zest to his repasts. The biscuitwere holding out well, but still he felt a desire to husband hisresources, and if any additional food could in any way be procured,it would not only be a relish, but would also lessen his demandupon his one sole source of supply. He thought earnestly upon thesubject of fish. He turned his thoughts very seriously to thesubject of fish-hooks, and tried to think of some way by which hecould capture some of the fish with which these waters abounded.But this idea did not seem to promise much. In the first place, hecould think of no possible way in which he could procure anyserviceable hook; in the second place, even if he had a hook andline all ready and baited, he did not see how he would be able tocast it within reach of any fish. His boat would not float himeven for the little distance that was required to get into theplaces where fish might be. He could only stand upon the beach outof their reach.

But, in the course of his thoughts, he soon perceived that othersources of food were possible to him besides the fish that werecaught by hook and line. His mind reverted to the populous realmof shell-fish. These were all before him. Round the rocks andamid the sea-weed there certainly must be mussels. At low tide,amid the ledges and the sand, there surely must be some lobsters.Before him there was an extensive mud flat, where there ought to beclams. Here was his fire, always ready, by night and by day. Whyshould he not be able to make use of that fire, not only forcheering his mind, and giving him warmth, and signaling to passers-by, but also for cooking his meals?

This was the question that he asked himself as he ate his biscuit.He could not see why he should not be able to accomplish this. Asfar as he could see, there ought to be plenty of shell-fish ofvarious kinds on these shores. The more he thought of it, the moreprobable it seemed. He determined to solve the difficulty as soonas possible. On former occasions he had arranged his work on theevening for the succeeding day. On this evening he marked out thiswork for the morrow, and arranged in his mind a comprehensive andmost diligent search for shell-fish, which should embrace the wholecircuit of the island.

With this in his mind, he arranged the fire as usual, so as to keepit alive, and then retired to his camp for the night. The presenceof a roof over his head was grateful in the extreme. He let downthe canvas folds over the entrance, and felt a peculiar sense ofsecurity and comfort. The moss and ferns which he had heaped upwere luxuriously soft and deliciously fragrant. Over these hestretched his wearied limbs with a sigh of relief, and soon wasasleep.

So comfortable was his bed, and so secure his shelter, that heslept longer than usual. It was late when he awaked. He hurriedforth and looked around. The fog still rested over everything. Ifpossible it was thicker and more dismal than even on the precedingday. To his surprise, he soon noticed that it had been rainingquite heavily through the night. Around, in many places, he sawpools of water, and in the hollows of the rocks he saw the same.This could only have been done by the rain. Going back to hiscamp, he saw that the canvas was quite wet. And yet the rain hadall rolled off. Not a drop had entered. The moss and the ferninside were perfectly dry, and he had not the slightest feeling ofdampness about him. His camp was a complete success.

He now went off to search for clams. The tide had been high atabout six in the morning. It was now, as he judged, about ten oreleven, and the water was quite low. Selecting a piece of shinglefrom his wood-pile, he walked down over the mud flat that extendedfrom the point, and, after going a little distance, he noticed theholes that give indications of the presence of clams beneath.Turning up the sand, he soon threw out some of them. He now dug inseveral different places, and obtained sufficient for the day.These he carried back to the bank in triumph. Then he stirred uphis fire, heaped on plenty of wood, and arranged his clams in frontso as to roast them.

In spite of Mrs. Pratt's theories, the clams were found by Tom tobe delicious, and gave such relish to the biscuit, that he began tothink whether he could not make use of the baling dipper, and makea clam chowder.

This breakfast was a great success, and Tom now confidentlyexpected to find other shell-fish, by means of which his resourcesmight be enlarged and improved.

The shout of joy uttered by those on the top of the cliff at seeingold Solomon safe was responded to by those in the boat; and then,as the latter went on her way, Captain Corbet set out to return tothe beach, followed by Phil and Pat. Soon they were all reunited,and, the boat being landed, they returned in triumph to theAntelope.

On their way back, Solomon told them the story of his adventures.

"Went out," said he, "on a splorin scursion, cos I was termined totry an skewer somethin to make a dinnah to keep up de sperrit obdis yah party. Ben trouble nuff, an dat's no reason why we shouldall starb. I tought by de looks ob tings dar was lobstas somewharlong dis yah sho, an if I got a chance, I knowed I could get 'em.Dar was lots ob time too, ef it hadn't ben fur dat ar pint; dat'swhat knocked me. Lots o' lobstas--could hab picked up a barl full,ony hadn't any barl to pick up."

"Well, but how did you happen to get caught?"

"Dat ar's jes what I'm a comin to. You see, I didn't tink ob datar pint when I went up de sho,--but knowed I had lots ob time; so Ijes tought I'd make sure ob de best ob de lobstas. Wan't goin totake back any common lobstas,--bet you dat,--notin for me but debest,--de bery best ones dar. Dat ar's what kep me. It takes aheap ob time an car to get de best ones, when dar's a crowd lyinabout ob all sizes, an de water comin in too."

"But didn't you see that the tide was coming up to the point?"

"Nebber see a see,--not a see; lookin ober de lobstas all de time,an mos stracted wid plexity cos I couldn't cide bout de best ones.Dar was lots an lots up dar at one place, dough I didn't go fur,--but ef I'd gone fur, I'd hab got better ones."

"How far did you go?"

"Not fur,--ony short distance,--didn't want to go too fur away forfeah ob not gittin back in time. An so I started to come backpooty soon, an walked, an walked. Las, jes as I got to de pint, Irose my ole head, an looked straight afore me, an thar, clar ef Ididn't fine myself shut in,--reglar prison,--mind I tell you,--anall round me a reglar cumferince ob water an rock, widout any wayob scape. Tell you what, if dar ebber was a ole rat in a trap, Iwas at dat ar casion."

"Couldn't you have waded through it before it got too high?"

"Waded? Not a wade; de water was rough an deep, an de bottom wasstones dat I'd slipped oba an almost broke my ole head, sides beindrownded as dead as a herrin. Why, what you tink dis ole nigga'smade ob? I'm not a steam injine, nor a mowin machine, nor a lifeboat. I'm ony a ole man, an shaky in de legs too,--mind I tellyou."

"Well, how did you manage it?"

"Manage! Why, I didn't manage at all."

"How did you find that place where you were sitting?"

"Wasn't settin. I was tied up in a knot, or rolled up into a ball.Any way, I wasn't settin."

"Well, how did you find the place?"

"Wal, I jes got up dar. I stood on de sho till de water drobe me,an I kep out ob its way till at las I found myself tied up de wayyou saw me."

"Why didn't you halloo?"

"Hollar? Didn't I hollar like all possessed?"

"We didn't hear you."

"Wal, dat ar's dredful sterious. An me a hollarin an a yellin likemad. Tell you what, I felt as ef I'd bust my ole head open, I didyell that hard."

"Couldn't you manage to climb up that cliff?"

"Dat cliff? Climb up? Me? What! me climb up a cliff? an datcliff? Why, I couldn't no more climb up dat ar cliff dan I couldfly to de moon. No, sah. Much as I could do to keep whar I was,out ob de water. Dat was enough."

"Don't you know that we walked two miles up the shore?"

"Two miles! Two! De sakes, now, chil'en! did you, railly? Ef I'da ony knowed you war a comin so near, wouldn't I a yelled? I bet Iwould."

"Why, you didn't think we'd have left you."

"Lef me? Nebber. But den I didn't tink you'd magine anyting waswrong till too late. What I wanted was help, den an dar. Detrouble was, when you did come, you all made dat ar circumbendibus,an trabelled clean an clar away from me."

"We thought at first you could not be so near the point."

"But de pint was de whole difficulty. Dat's de pint."

"Well, at any rate, you've saved the lobsters."

"Yah! yah! yah! Yes. Bound to sabe dem dar. Loss my ole hat, annearly loss my ole self; but still I hung on to dem dar lobstas.Tell you what it is now, dey come nigh onto bein de dearest lobstasyou ebber eat. I'be done a good deal in de way ob puttin myselfout to get a dinna at odd times for you, chil'en; but dis time Ialmost put myself out ob dis mortial life. So when you get yourdinnas to-day, you may tink on what dat ar dinna come nigh tocostin."

"I wonder that you held on to them so tight, when they brought youinto such danger."

"Hole on? Why, dat ar's de berry reason why I did hole on. What,let go ob dem arter all my trouble on dat count? No. I was boundto hab somethin to show whenebber I got back, if I ebber did getback; and so here I am, all alibe, an a bringin my lobstas wid me."

"Well, Solomon," said Bart, in a kindly tone, "old man, thelobsters have come near costing us pretty dear, and we felt badenough, I can tell you, when we went up there along the shorecalling for you and getting no answer."

"What, you did car for de ole man, Mas'r Bart--did you?" saidSolomon, in a tremulous voice. Tears started to his eyes as hesaid it, and all power of saying anything more seemed to departfrom him. He fell back behind the others, and walked on for therest of the way in silence, but at times casting upon Bart glancesthat spoke volumes, and talking to himself in inaudible tones.

In this way they soon reached the wharf where the schooner waslying.

The first thing that they noticed was, that the schooner wasaground. The tide had gone out too far for her to float away, andconsequently there was no hope of resuming their voyage for thatday.

"We're in for it, captain," said Bruce

"Yes; I felt afeard of it," said the captain. "We've got to waithere till the next tide."

"We'll leave to-night, of course."

"O, yes. We must get off at the night's tide, and drop down thebay."

"How far had we better go?"

"Wal, I ben a thinkin it all over, an it's my opinion that we'dbetter go to St. John next. We may hear of him there, an ef hedon't turn up we can send out some more vessels, an give warninthat he's astray on the briny biller."

"At what time will we be able to leave?"

"Wal, it'll not be high tide till near one o'clock, but we can gitoff ef thar's a wind a leetle before midnight."

"Do you think the wind will hold on?"

The captain raised his head, and looked at the sky; then he lookedout to sea, and then he remained silent for a few minutes.

"Wal," said he, at last, slowly and thoughtfully, "it'll take a manwith a head as long as a hoss to answer that thar. It mought holdon, an then agin it moughtn't."

"At any rate, I suppose we can drift."

"O, yes; an of the wind doosn't come round too strong, we can gitnigh down pooty close to St. John by mornin."

"We'll run down with the tide."

"Percisely."

"Well, I suppose we'll have to put the time through the best way wecan, and try to be patient. Only it seems hard to be delayed somuch. First there was the fog, which made our search useless; andnow, when there comes a bright day, when we can see where we'regoing, here we are tied up in Quaco all day and all night."

"It doos seem hard," said Captain Corbet, gravely, "terrible hard;an ef I owned a balloon that could rise this here vessel off theground, an convey her through the air to her nat'ral element, I'dhev it done in five minutes, an we'd all proceed to walk the waterslike things of life. But I don't happen to own a balloon, an sothar you air.

"But, boys," continued the captain, in a solemn voice, elevatinghis venerable chin, and regarding them with a patriarchal smile,--"boys, don't begin to go on in that thar old despondent strain.Methinks I hear some on you a repinin, an a frettin, cos we'restuck here hard an fast. Don't do it, boys; take my advice, andon't do it. Bear in mind the stirrin an memiorable events of thishere mornin. See what a calamity was a threatenin us. Why, Ideclare to you all, thar was a time when I expected to see our agedfriend Solomon no more in the flesh. You could not tell it by mymanner, for I presarved a calm an collected dumeanour; but yet, Itell you, underneath all that icy calm an startlin good-natur of myattitood, I concealed a heart that bet with dark despair. At thatmoment, when we in our wanderins had reached the furthest extremitythat we attained onto, I tell you my blood friz, an my har riz inhorror! Methought it were all up with Solomon; and when I see hishat, it seemed to me jest as though I was a regardin with despairineye his tumestun whereon war graven by no mortial hand the solemnan despairin epigram, 'Hic jacet!'

"So now, my friends," continued the captain, as he brushed a tear-drop from his eye, "let us conterrol our feelins. Let us be calm,and hope for the best. When Solomon took his departoor, an wasamong the missin, I thought that an evil fortin was a berroodinover us, and about to consume us. But that derream air past.Solomon is onst more among the eatables. He cooks agin the mortialrepast. He lives! So it will be with our young friend who has somysteriously drifted away from our midst. Cheer up, I say! Them'smy sentiment. He'll come to, an turn up, all alive--right side up--with care,--C. O. D.,--O. K.,--to be shaken before taken,--markedand numbered as per margin,--jest as when shipped, in good orderan condition, on board the schooner Antelope, Corbet master, ofGrand Pre."

These words of Captain Corbet had a very good effect upon the boys.They had already felt very much cheered by the escape of Solomon,and it seemed to them to be a good omen. If Solomon had escaped,so also might Tom. And, as their anxiety on Solomon's account hadall been dispelled by his restoration, so also might they hope thattheir anxiety about Tom would be dispelled. True, he had been lostto them for a much longer time, and his absence was certainlysurrounded by a more terrible obscurity than any which had beenconnected with that of Solomon. Yet this one favorablecircumstance served to show them that all might not be so dark asthey had feared. Thus, therefore, they began to be more sanguine,and to hope that when they reached St. John, some tidings of thelost boy might be brought to them.

Solomon's exertions towards giving them a dinner were on this daycrowned with greater success than had been experienced for somedays past. Their exertions had given them an appetite, and theywere able to eat heartily for the first time since Tom's departure.

The rest of the day passed very slowly with them. They retiredearly, and slept until midnight. At that time they waked, and wenton deck, when they had the extreme satisfaction of seeing thevessel get under way. A moderate breeze was blowing, which wasfavorable, and though the tide was not yet in their favor, yet thewind was sufficient to bear them out into the bay. Then the boysall went below again, full of hope. The night passed away quietly,and without any incident whatever. They all slept soundly, and thedreams that came to them were pleasant rather than otherwise.

Awaking in the morning by daylight, they all hurried up on deck,and encountered there a new disappointment; for all around themthey saw again the hated presence of the fog. The wind also haddied away, and the vessel's sails flapped idly against her masts.

"Where are we now?" asked Bruce, in a despondent tone.

"Wal," said Captain Corbet, "as nigh as I can reckon, we're two orthree miles outside of St. John harbor."

"How is the tide?"

"Wal, it's kine o' agin us, jest now."

"There doesn't seem to be any wind."

"Not much."

"Shall we get into St. John to-day?"

"Wal, I kine o' think we'll manage it."

"How soon?"

"Wal, not much afore midday. You see we're driftin away jest now."

"Don't you intend to anchor till the next rise of tide?"

"O, yes; in about ten minutes we'd ought to be about whar I want toanchor."

At this disheartening condition of affairs the boys sank once moreinto a state of gloom. In about ten minutes, as Captain Corbetsaid, the schooner was at anchor, and there was nothing to do butto wait.

"We'll run in at turn o' tide," said he.

Breakfast came, and passed. The meal was eaten in silence. Thenthey went on deck again, fretting and chafing at the long delay.Not much was said, but the boys stood in silence, trying to seethrough the thick fog.

"It was so fine when we left," said Bart, "that I thought we'd haveit all the way."

"Wal, so we did--pooty much all; but then, you see, about four thismornin we run straight into a fog bank."

"Has the wind changed?"

"Wal, thar don't seem jest now to be any wind to speak of, but itkine o' strikes me that it's somethin like southerly weather.Hence this here fog."

After a few hours the vessel began to get under way again; and now,too, there arose a light breeze, which favored them. As they wenton they heard the long, regular blast of a steam whistle, whichhowled out a mournful note from time to time. Together with this,they heard, occasionally, the blasts of fog horns from unseenschooners in their neighborhood, and several times they coulddistinguish the rush of some steamer past them, whose whistlesounded sharply in their ears.

As they drew nearer, these varied sounds became louder, and atlength the yell of one giant whistle sounded close beside them.

"We're a enterin o' the harbure," said Captain Corbet.

Hours passed away from the time the Antelope raised anchor untilshe reached the wharf. In passing up the harbor, the shadowy formsof vessels at anchor became distinguishable amid the gloom, and infront of them, as they neared the wharf, there arose a forest ofmasts belonging to schooners. It was now midday. Suddenly therearose a fearful din all around. It was the shriek of a largenumber of steam whistles, and seemed to come up from every side.

"Is that for the fog?" asked Bruce.

"O, no," said Bart; "those are the saw-mills whistling for twelveo'clock."

The boys had already completed their preparations for landing, andhad changed their eccentric clothing for apparel which was moresuited to making their appearance in society. Bart had insistedthat they should go to his house, and wait until they might decidewhat to do; and the boys had accepted his hospitable invitation.

They stepped on shore full of hope, not doubting that they wouldhear news of Tom. They had persuaded themselves that he had beenpicked up by some vessel which was coming down the bay, and hadprobably been put ashore here; in which case they knew that hewould at once communicate with Bart's people. They even thoughtthat Tom would be there to receive them.

"Of course he will be," said Bart; "if he did turn up, they'd makehim stay at the house, you know; and he'd know that we fellowswould come down here in the hope of hearing about him. So we'llfind him there all right, after all. Hurrah!"

But, on reaching his home, Bart's joyous meeting with his familywas very much marred by the deep, dark, and bitter disappointmentthat awaited him and his companions.

They knew nothing whatever about Tom. Bart's father was shocked atthe story. He knew that no boy had been picked up adrift in thebay during the past week. Such an event would have been known. Hefelt exceedingly anxious, and at once instituted a search among thecoasting vessels. The search was a thorough one, but resulted innothing. There was no one who had seen anything of a driftingboat. All reported thick fog in the bay.

The result of this search plunged Bart and his friends into theirformer gloom.

Other searches were made. Inquiries were sent by telegraph todifferent places, but without result.

The fate of the missing boy now became a serious question

As for Bart and his friends, they were inconsolable.

XVIII.

Down the Bay.--Drifting and Anchoring.--In the Dark, morally andphysically.--Eastport, the jumping-off Place.--Grand Manan.--Wonderful Skill.--Navigating in the Fog.--A Plunge from Darknessinto Light, and from Light into Darkness.

It was Saturday when Bart reached home. As much was done on thatday as possible. Bart was in the extreme of wretchedness, and soeager was he to resume the search for his friend, that his fathergave his permission for him to start off again in the Antelope.The other boys also were to go with him. They determined to scourthe seas till they found Tom, or had learned his fate.

Mr. Damer also assured Bart that he would take the matter in handhimself, and would send out two schooners to go about the bay. Inaddition to this, he would telegraph to different places, so thatthe most extensive search possible might be instituted. Every partof the coast should be explored, and even the islands should bevisited.

All this gave as much consolation to Bart and his friends as it waspossible for them to feel under the circumstances.

As much as possible was done on Saturday, but the next day was anidle one, as far as the search was concerned. Bart and the boyswaited with great impatience, and finally on Monday morning theyleft once more in the Antelope. It was about five o'clock in themorning, the tide was in their favor, and, though there was a headwind, yet be fore the turn of tide they were anchored a gooddistance down the bay.

"My idee is this," said Captain Corbet. "I'll explore the hull bayin search of that driftin boy. I'll go down this side, cross over,and come up on t'other. We'll go down here first, an not crossover till we get as fur as Quoddy Head. I think, while we air downthar, I'll call at Eastport an ask a few questions. But I must sayit seems a leetle too bad to have the fog go on this way. If thishere had ony happened a fortnight ago, we'd have had clear weatheran fair winds. It's too bad, I declar."

They took advantage of the next tide to go down still farther, andby twelve o'clock on Monday night they were far down. Sinceleaving St. John they had seen nothing whatever, but they had heardoccasionally the fog horns of wandering schooners, and once theyhad listened to the yell of a steamer's whistle.

"I've allus said," remarked Captain Corbet, "that in navigatin thishere bay, tides is more important than winds, and anchors is moreimportant than sails. That's odd to seafarin men that ain'tacquainted with these waters, but it air a oncontrovartible fact.Most of the distressin casooalties that happen hereabouts occurfrom a ignorance of this on the part of navigators. They WILL pileon sail. Now, in clar weather an open sea, pile it on, I say; butin waters like these, whar's the use? Why, it's flyin clar in theface of Providence. Now look at me--do I pile on sail? Not me.Catch me at it! When I can git along without, why, I git. At thesame time, I don't think you'll find it altogether for the good ofyour precious health, boys, to be a movin about here in the fog atmidnight. Better go below. You can't do no good a settin or astandin up here, squintin through a darkness that might be felt, anthat's as thick as any felt I ever saw. So take my advice, an gobelow, and sleep it off."

It was impossible to gainsay the truth of Captain Corbet's remarks,and as it was really midnight, and the darkness almost as thick ashe said, the boys did go below, and managed to get to sleep inabout a minute and a half after their heads touched the pillows.

Before they were awake on the following day the anchor was hoisted,and the Antelope was on her way again.

"Here we air, boys," said the captain, as they came on deck, "underway--the Antelope on her windin way over the mounting wave, abereasting of the foamin biller like all possessed. I prophesy forthis day a good time as long as the tide lasts."

"Do you think we'll get to Eastport harbor with this tide?"

"Do I think so?--I know it. I feel it down to my butes. Eastportharbure? Yea! An arter that we hev all plain-sailin."

"Why, won't the fog last?"

"I don't car for the fog. Arter we get to Eastport harbure wecease goin down the bay. We then cross over an steal up the otherside. Then it's all our own. If the fog lasts, why, the wind'lllast too, an we can go up flyin, all sails set; an I'll remuve frommy mind, for the time bein, any prejudyce that I have agin wind atsails."

"Do you intend to go ashore at Eastport?"

"Yes, for a short time--jest to make inquiries. It will be aconsolation, you know."

"Of course."

"Then I'll up sail, an away we'll go, irrewspective of tides,across the bay."

By midday the captain informed them that they were in Eastportharbor.

"See thar," said he, as he pointed to a headland with a light-house. "That thar is the entrance. They do call this a pootyishplace; but as it's this thick, you won't hev much chance to see it.Don't you want to go ashore an walk about?"

"Not if we can help it. Of course we'll have to ask after poorTom, but we haven't any curiosity."

"Wal, p'aps not--ony thar is people that find this a dreadfulcur'ous place. It's got, as I said, a pootyish harbure; but thatain't the grand attraction. The grand attraction centres in a rockthat's said to be the eastest place in the neighborin republic,--inshort, as they call it, the 'jumpin-off place.' You'd better go ansee it; ony you needn't jump off, unless you like."

Sailing up the harbor, the fog grew light enough for them to seethe shore. The town lay in rather an imposing situation, on theside of a hill, which was crowned by a fort. A large number ofvessels lay about at the wharves and at anchor. Here they wentashore in a boat, but on making inquiries could gain no informationabout Tom; nor could they learn anything which gave them theslightest encouragement.

"We've got to wait here a while so as to devarsefy the time.Suppose we go an jump off?" said the captain.

The boys assented to this in a melancholy manner, and the captainled the way through the town, till at last he halted at the extremeeast end.

"Here," said he, "you behold the last extremity of a great anmighty nation, that spreads from the Atlantic to the Pacific, anfrom the Gulf of Mexiky to the very identical spot that you air nowa occypyin of. It air a celebrated spot, an this here air amemorable momient in your youthful lives, if you did but know it!"

There was nothing very striking about this place, except the factwhich Captain Corbet had stated. Its appearance was not veryimposing, yet, on the other hand, it was not without a certain wildbeauty. Before them spread the waters of the bay, with islandshalf concealed in mist; while immediately in front, a steep, rockybank went sheer down for some thirty or forty feet to the beachbelow.

"I suppose," said the captain, "that bein Pilgrims, it air ourdooty to jump; but as it looks a leetle rocky down thar, I thinkwe'd best defer that to another opportoonity."

Returning to the schooner, they weighed anchor, set sail, and leftthe harbor. On leaving it, they did not go back the way they hadcome, but passed through a narrow and very picturesque channel,which led them by a much shorter route into the bay. On their leftwere wooded hills, and on their right a little village on the slopeof a hill, upon whose crest stood a church.

Outside the fog lay as thick as ever, and into this they plunged.Soon the monotonous gray veil of mist closed all around them. Butnow their progress was more satisfactory, for they were crossingthe bay, and the wind was abeam.

"Are you going straight across to Nova Scotia now?" asked Bart.

"Wal, yes; kine o' straight across," was the reply; "ony on ourway we've got to call at a certain place, an contenoo ourinvestergations."

"What place is that?"

"It's the Island of Grand Manan--a place that I allers feel thegreatest respect for. On that thar island is that celebrated fogmill that I told you of, whar they keep grindin night an day, insoutherly weather, so as to keep up the supply of fog for oldFundy. Whatever we'd do without Grand Manan is more'n I can say."

"Cos thar ain't any poppylation on this side, an we've got to landon t'other."

"Why are there no people on this side?"

"Cos thar ain't no harbures. The cliffs air six hundred feet high,and the hull shore runs straight on for ever so fur without abreak, except two triflin coves."

"How is it on the other side?"

"Wal, the east side ain't a bad place. The shore is easier, anthar's harbures an anchorages. Thar's a place they call WhaleCove, whar I'm goin to land, an see if I can hear anythin. Thepeople air ony fishers, an they ain't got much cultivation; butit's mor'en likely that a driftin boat might touch thar somewhar."

The Antelope pursued her course, but it was as much as three hoursbefore she reached her destination. They dropped anchor then, andlanded. The boys had already learned not to indulge too readily inhope; but when they made their inquiries, and found the same answermeeting them here which they had received in other places, theycould not avoid feeling a fresh pang of disappointment anddiscouragement.

"Wal, we didn't git much good out of this place," said CaptainCorbet. "I'm sorry that we have sech a arrand as ourn. Ef itwarn't for that we could spend to-night here, an to-morry I'd takeyou all to see the fog mill; but, as it is, I rayther think I won'tlinger here, but perceed on our way."

"Where do we go next--to Nova Scotia?"

"Wal, not jest straight across, but kine o' slantin. We head nowfor Digby; that's about straight opposite to St. John, an it's aslikely a place as any to make inquiries at."

"How long will it be before we get there?"

"Wal, some time to-morry mornin. To-night we've got nothin at allto do but to sweep through the deep while the stormy tempests blowin the shape of a mild sou-wester; so don't you begin your usualgame of settin up. You ain't a mite of good to me, nor toyourselves, a stayin here. You'd ought all to be abed, and, efyou'll take my advice, you'll go to sleep as soon as you can, anstay asleep as long as you can. It'll be a foggy night, an wewon't see a mite o' sunshine till we git into Digby harbure. Seenow, it's already dark; so take my advice, an go to bed, likecivilized humane beings."

It did not need much persuasion to send them off to their beds.Night was coming on, another night of fog and thick darkness. Thistime, however, they had the consolation of making some progress, ifit were any consolation when they had no definite course beforethem; for, in such a cruise as this, when they were roaming aboutfrom one place to another, without any fixed course, or fixedtime, the progress that they made was, after all, a secondaryconsideration. The matter of first importance was to hear news ofTom, and, until they did hear something, all other things were oflittle moment.

The Antelope continued on her way all that night, and on the nextmorning the boys found the weather unchanged. Breakfast passed,and two or three hours went on. The boys were scattered about thedecks, in a languid way, looking out over the water, when suddenlya cry from Pat, who was in the bows, aroused all of them.Immediately before them rose a lofty shore, covered in the distancewith dark trees, but terminating at the water's edge in frowningrocks. A light-house stood here, upon which they had come sosuddenly that, before they were over their first surprise, theywere almost near enough to toss a biscuit ashore.

"Wal, now, I call that thar pooty slick sailin," exclaimed CaptainCorbet, glancing at the lighthouse with sparkling eyes. "I tellyou what it is, boys, you don't find many men in this here day anage that can leave Manan at dusk, when the old fog mill is hard atwork, and travel all night in the thickest fog ever seen, with tideagin him half the time, an steer through that thar fog, an aginthat thar tide, so as to hit the light-house as slick as that.Talk about your scientific navigation--wouldn't I like to see whatone of them thar scientific captings would do with his vessel lastnight on sech a track as I run over! Wouldn't I like to run a racewith him? an ef I did, wouldn't I make a pile to leave and bequeathto the infant when his aged parient air buried beneath the coldground?"

While Captain Corbet was speaking, the schooner sailed past thelight-house, and the thick fog closed around her once more. On oneside, however, they could see the dim outline of the shore on theirright. On they sailed for about a quarter of a mile, when suddenlythe fog vanished, and, with scarce a moment's notice, there burstupon them a blaze of sunlight, while overhead appeared the glory ofthe blue sky. The suddenness of that transition forced a cry ofastonishment from all. They had shot forth so quickly from the foginto the sunlight that it seemed like magic.

They found themselves sailing along a strait about a mile in width,with shores on each side that were as high as Blomidon. On theright the heights sloped up steep, and were covered with trees ofrich dark verdure, while on the other side the slope was bolder andwilder. Houses appeared upon the shore, and roads, and cultivatedtrees. This strait was several miles in length, and led into abroad and magnificent basin.

Here, in this basin, appeared an enchanting view. A sheet of waterextended before their eyes about sixteen miles in length and fivein breadth. All around were lofty shores, fertile, well tilled,covered with verdurous trees and luxuriant vegetation. The greenof the shores was dotted with white houses, while the blue of thewater was flecked with snowy sails. Immediately on the right thereappeared a circular sweep of shore, on which arose a village whosehouses were intermingled with green trees.

Into this beautiful basin came the old French navigators more thantwo centuries ago, and at its head they found a place which seemedto them the best spot in Acadie to become the capital of the newcolony which they were going to found here. So they establishedtheir little town, and these placid waters became the scene ofcommercial activity and of warlike enterprise, till generationspassed away, and the little French town of Port Royal, after manystrange vicissitudes, with its wonderful basin, remained in thepossession of the English conqueror.

"Now," said Captain Corbet, "boys, look round on that thar, an tellme of you ever see a beautifuller place than this. Thar's ony oneplace that can be compared with this here, an that's Grand Pre.But for the life o' me, I never can tell which o' the two is thepootiest. It's strange, too, how them French fellers managed topick out the best places in the hull province. But it shows theirtaste an judgment--it doos, railly."

It was not long before the Antelope had dropped anchor in front ofthe town of Digby, and Captain Corbet landed with the boys as soonas possible. There was as good a chance of Tom being heard of hereas anywhere; since this place lay down the bay, in one sense, andif by any chance Tom had drifted over to the Nova Scotia shore, asnow seemed probable, he would be not unlikely to go to Digby, so asto resume his journey, so rudely interrupted, and make his waythence to his friends.

Digby is a quiet little place, that was finished long ago. It wasfirst settled by the Tory refugees, who came here after therevolutionary war, and received land grants from the Britishgovernment. At first it had some activity, but its business soonlanguished. The first settlers had such bright hopes of its futurethat they regularly laid out a town, with streets and squares. Butthese have never been used to any extent, and now appear grown overwith grass. Digby, however, has so much beauty of scenery aroundit, that it may yet attract a large population. On landing here,Captain Corbet pursued the same course as at other places. He wentfirst to one of the principal shops, or the post office, and toldhis story, and afterwards went to the schooners at the wharves.But at Digby there was precisely the same result to their inquiriesas there had been at other places. No news had come to the placeof any one adrift, nor had any skipper of any schooner noticedanything of the kind during his last trip.

"What had we better do next?"

"Wal," said Captain Corbet, "we can ony finish our cruise."

"Shall we go on?"

"Yes."

"Up the bay?"

"Yes. I'll keep on past Ile Haute, an I'll cruise around Minas.You see these drifts may take him in a'most any direction. I don'tsee why he shouldn't hev drifted up thar as well as down here."

It was Wednesday when they reached Digby.

On the evening of that day the Antelope weighed anchor, and sailedout into the Bay of Fundy.

It was bright sunshine, with a perfectly cloudless sky inside, butoutside the Antelope plunged into the midst of a dense and heavyfog.

When we last saw Tom he had succeeded in finding some clams, whichhe roasted in front of his fire, and made thus a very acceptablerelish. This not only gratified his palate for the time, but italso stimulated him to fresh exertions, since it showed him thathis resources were much more extensive than he had supposed them tobe. If he had ever dreaded getting out of all his provisions, hesaw now that the fear was an unfounded one. Here, before his eyes,and close beside his dwelling-place, there extended a broad fieldfull of food. In that mud flat there were clams enough to feed himfor all the rest of his life, if that were necessary. But what wasmore, he saw by this the possibility that other articles of foodmight be reckoned on, by means of which he would be able to relievehis diet from that monotony which had thus far been its chiefcharacteristic. If he could find something else besides clams andbiscuit, the tedium of his existence here would be alleviated to astill greater degree.

He spent some time in considering this subject, and in thinkingover all the possible kinds of food which he might hope to obtain.Sea and land might both be relied on to furnish food for his tablein the desert. The sea, he knew, ought to supply the following:--

1. Clams,2. Lobsters,3. Mussels,

in addition to other things which he had in his mind. The land, onthe other hand, ought to furnish something. Now that his attentionwas fairly directed to this important subject, he could think ofseveral things which would be likely to be found even on thisisland, and the search for which would afford an agreeableamusement.

The more he thought of all this, the more astonished he was at thenumber of things which he could think of as being likely to existhere around him. It was not so much for the sake of gratifying hisappetite, as to find some occupation, that he now entered eagerlyupon putting this new project into execution. Fish, flesh, andfowl now offered themselves to his endeavors, and these were to besupplied by land, sea, and sky. This sudden enlargement of hisresources, and also of his sphere of operations, caused him to feeladditional satisfaction, together with a natural self-complacency.To the ordinary mind Ile Haute appeared utterly deserted andforlorn--a place where one might starve to death, if he had toremain for any length of time; but Tom now determined to test tothe utmost the actual resources of the island, so as to prove, tohimself what one unaided boy could do, when thus thrown upon hisown intelligent efforts, with dire necessity to act as a stimulusto his ingenuity.

First of all, then, there was his box of biscuit, which he hadbrought with him.

To this must be added his first discovery on the island, namely,the clams. Nothing could be of greater importance than this, sinceit afforded not merely a relish, but also actual food.

The next thing that he sought after was lobsters, and he went offin search of these as soon as he could on the following day.

He waited till the tide was low, which was at about twelve o'clock,and then went down along the beach. At high tide, the water cameclose up to the foot of the lofty cliff; but at ebb, it descendedfor some distance, so that there was some sort of a beach even inplaces that did not promise any.

The beach nearest to where Tom had taken up his abode was anexpanse of mud and sand; but passing along beyond this, on thenorth side, it became gravelly. About a hundred yards to the west,on this side of the island, he came to the place where he had tiedhis boat, on that eventful time when he had drifted here. Belowthis, the beach extended down for a long distance, and at thelowest point there were rocks, and sharp stones, and pebbles ofevery size. Here Tom began his search, and before he had lookedfive minutes, he found several lobsters of good size. A littlefarther search showed him that there was a large supply of these,so that, in fact, sufficient support might have been obtained for awhole ship's company. By the time that he had found a half dozenof these, and had brought them back to his hearth-stone, it hadgrown too dark to search for any more. Tom's search, however, hadbeen so successful, that he felt quite satisfied; and though theday had passed without any change in the weather or any lifting ofthe fog, though he had listened in vain for any sound over thewaters which might tell of passers by, though his signal had notbeen seen, and his bright burning fire had not been noticed, yetthe occupation of thought and of action which he had found forhimself, had been sufficient to make the time pass not unpleasantly.

His evening repast was now a decided improvement on that of thepreceding day. First of all, he spread some clams in the hot ashesto roast; and then, taking the dipper which had been used forbaling, he filled it with water, and placing this on the fire, itsoon began to boil. Into this he thrust the smallest lobster, andwatched it as the water bubbled around it, and its scaly coveringturned slowly from its original dark hue to a bright red color.

His success thus far stimulated him to make some attempts at actualcookery. Removing some of the lobster from its shell, he pouredout most of the water from the pan, and into what remained he againput the lobster, cutting it up as fine as he could with his knife.Into this he crumbled some biscuit, and stirred it up all together.He then placed it over the fire till it was well baked. Onremoving it and tasting it, he found it most palatable. It wasalready sufficiently salt, and only needed a little pepper to makeit quite equal to any scolloped lobster that he had ever tasted.

His repast consisted of this, followed by the roast clams, whichformed an agreeable variety.

Tom now felt like a giant refreshed; and while sitting in front ofthe evening fire, he occupied his mind with plans for the morrow,which were all directed towards enlarging his supply of provisions.

He awaked late on the next morning, and found the weatherunchanged. He tried to quell his impatience and disappointment,and feeling that idleness would never do, he determined to go towork at once, and carry out the plans of the preceding day. It wasnow Thursday, the middle of the second week, and the fog had clungpertinaciously around him almost all that time. It was indeeddisheartening, and idleness under such circumstances would haveended in misery and despair; but Tom's perseverance, and obstinatecourage, and buoyant spirits enabled him still to rise abovecircumstances, and struggle with the gloom around him.

"O, go on, go on," he muttered, looking around upon the fog."Let's see who can stand it longest. And now for my foragingexpedition."

Making a hearty repast out of the remnants of the supper of thepreceding evening, he went first to the shore, so as to completehis search there while the tide should be low. It was going downnow, and the beach was all before him. He wandered on till he cameto where there was an immense ledge of sharp rocks, that went fromthe foot of the precipice down into the bay. Over these heclambered, looking carefully around, until at last he reached thevery lowest point. Here he soon found some articles of diet, whichwere quite as valuable in their way as the clams and lobsters.First of all, he found an immense quantity of large mussels. Thesewere entangled among the thick masses of sea-weed. He knew thatthe flavor of mussels was much more delicate than that of clams orlobsters, and that by many connoisseurs these, when good and fresh,were ranked next to oysters. This discovery, therefore, gave himgreat joy, and he filled his pan, which he had carried down, andtook them back to the shore. He also took an armful of sea-weed,and, reaching his camping-place, he threw the mussels in a hollowplace in the sand, placing the sea-weed around them. In this wayhe knew that they would keep fresh and sweet for any reasonablelength of time.

Returning to the ledges of rock, he walked about among them, andfound a number of pools, some of which were of considerable size.These had been left by the retreating water; and in these hollowshe soon saw a number of small objects moving about. Some of themhe caught without much difficulty, and saw that they were shrimps.He had hoped to find some of these, but the discovery came to himlike some unexpected pleasure, and seemed more than he had anyright to count on. Beside the shrimps his other discoveries seemedinferior. There was a large number, and they could be caughtwithout much trouble. He soon filled his pan, and brought thesealso to his camping-place. These he deposited in a little pool,which was on the surface of some rocks that lay not far from theshore. Over these he also laid some sea-weed.

The tide was now coming up, but Tom made a further journey to thebeach, so as to secure something which he had noticed during hisprevious expedition. This was a marine plant called dulse, which,in these waters, grows very plentifully, and is gathered and driedby the people in large quantities. It was a substance of which Tomwas very fond, and he determined to gather some, and dry it in thesun. Collecting an armful of this, he took it to the shore, andspread it out over the grass, though, in that damp and foggyatmosphere, there was not much prospect of its drying.

It was now about three o'clock in the afternoon, and Tom'sresearches along the shore were successfully terminated. He hadfound all the different articles that he had thought of and his newacquisitions were now lying about him.

These were,--

Clams,Lobsters,Mussels,Shrimps,Dulse.

As he murmured to himself the list of things, he smiled triumphantly.

But still there was work to be done. Tom intended to keepfashionable hours, and dine late, with only a lunch in the middleof the day. His explorations of the afternoon were to beimportant, and he hoped that they would be crowned with a portionof that success which had attended the work of the morning. Hetook, therefore, a hasty lunch of biscuit and cold lobster, washeddown with water, and then set forth.

This time he turned away from the shore, and went to the top of theisland. He carried in his hand a bit of rope, about a dozen feetin length, and went along the edge of the cliff as far as he could,turning aside at times to avoid any clumps of trees or bushes thatgrew too thickly. In front of him the line of cliff extended forsome distance, and he walked along, until, at last, he came to aplace where the gulls flew about in larger flocks than usual,almost on a line with the top of the rock. He had not noticed themparticularly on his former walk along here; but now he watched themvery attentively, and finally stood still, so as to see theiractions to better advantage.

Tom, in fact, had made up his mind to procure some gulls' eggs,thinking that these would make an addition to his repast of greatimportance; and he now watched the motions of these birds, so as todetect the most accessible of their nests. He did not have towatch long. A little observation showed him a place, just underthe cliff, not far away from him. Hastening forward, he bent over,and, looking down, he saw a large number of nests. They had beenconstructed on a shelf of rock immediately below the edge of thecliff, and the eggs were within easy reach. The gulls flew aboutwildly, as the intruder reached down his hands towards their nests,and screamed and shrieked, while some of them rushed towards him,within a few feet of his head, as though they would assail him andbeat him off. But Tom's determination did not falter. He cared nomore for the gulls than if they were so many pigeons, but securedas many eggs as he could carry. These he took with him back to hiscamp.

But he was not yet satisfied. He was anxious to have somevegetables; and over the open ground, among the grass, he had seenplants which were very familiar to him. There were dandelions; andTom saw in them something that seemed worth more than any of hisother acquisitions. Going forth in search of these, he managed toget his pan full of them. These he washed, and after cutting offthe roots, he put them in the pan with water, and then set themover the fire to boil.

While they were boiling Tom went off once more, and found some wildstrawberries. They were quite plentiful about here, and this wasthe season for them. He stripped a piece of bark from a birchtree, as the country people do, and formed from this a dish whichwould hold about a quart. This he filled after a moderate search.

He took the strawberries to his camp, and then, going back to thewoods, he procured some more birch bark, out of which he made ahalf dozen dishes. It was now about five o'clock, and Tom thoughtit was time for him to begin to cook his dinner.

The dandelions were not quite cooked as yet; so Tom had to wait;but while doing so, he heated some stones in the fire. By the timethey were heated, the dandelions were cooked; and Tom, removing thepan, put some shrimps and mussels in it, to boil over the fire. Hethen removed the stones, and placed one of the lobsters among themin such a way, that it was surrounded on every side in a hot oven.He then buried a few clams among the hot ashes, and did the samewith three or four of the gulls' eggs.

One of the hot stones was reserved for another purpose. It was thelargest of them, and was red hot when he drew it from the fire, butsoon cooled down enough to resume its natural color, although itretained an intense heat.

Over this he spread some of the wet dulse, which soon crackled andshrivelled up, sending forth a rich and fragrant steam. Inroasting this dulse, a large piece would shrink to very smallproportions, so that half of Tom's armful, when thus roasted, wasreduced to but a small handful.

After finishing this, he drew the gulls' eggs from the fire, andtaking off the shells, he cut them in slices, and put them with thedandelions. Then he took the shrimps and mussels from the fire,and removing them from the pan, he separated them, and put theminto different bark dishes. The clams were next drawn forth, andthough rather overdone, they were, nevertheless, of temptingappearance and appetizing odor. Finally, the lobster was removed,and Tom contented himself with one of the claws, which he placed ona dish, reserving the remainder for another time.

And now the articles were all cooked, and Tom's repast was ready.He looked with a smile of gratification upon the various disheswhich his ingenuity and industry had drawn forth from the rocks,and cliffs, and mud, and sand of a desert island, and wonderedwhether other islands, in tropical climates, could yield a morevaried or more nutritious supply. He thought of other plants whichmight be found here, and determined to try some that seemed to benutritious.

Here is the repast which Tom, on that occasion, spread beforehimself:--

In one thing only did Tom fall short of his wishes, and that was inthe way of drinks. But before that dinner was finished, even thiswas remedied; for necessity, the great mother of invention,instigated Tom to squeeze about half of his strawberries into alittle water. Out of this he formed a drink with a flavor thatseemed to him to be quite delicious. And that made what Tomcalled,--

Tom sat there over his banquet until late. He then went down tothe beach, and brought up a vast collection of driftwood, andthrowing a plenteous supply upon the fire, he lay down beside it,and looked out over the water, trying, as usual, to see somethingthrough the thick mist. The flames shot up with a crackle and agreat blaze, and the bright light shone brilliantly upon the water.The tide was now up, and the boat was full before him. Tom fixedhis eyes upon this boat, and was mournfully recalling hisunsuccessful experiment at making her sea-worthy, and was waitingto see her sink down to her gunwales as she filled, when thethought occurred to him that she was not filling so rapidly as shemight, but was floating much better than usual. A steadyobservation served to show him that this was no fancy, but anactual fact; and the confirmation of this first impression at oncedrove away all other thoughts, and brought back all the ideas ofescape which he once had cherished.

The boat was admitting the water, certainly, yet she certainly didnot leak quite so badly as before, but was floating far better thanshe had done on the night of his trial. What was the meaning ofthis?

Now, the fact is, he had not noticed the boat particularly duringthe last few days. He had given it up so completely, that itceased to have any interest in his eyes. Raising his signal,building his house, and exploring the island had taken up all histhoughts. Latterly he had thought of nothing but his dinner. Butnow the change in the boat was unmistakable, and it seemed to himthat the change might have been going on gradually all this timewithout his noticing it until it had become so marked.

What was the cause of this change? That was the question which henow sought to answer. After some thought he found a satisfactoryexplanation.

For a number of days the boat had been admitting the water till shewas full. This water had remained in for an hour or more, and thisprocess of filling and emptying had been repeated every tide. Theatmosphere also had been wet, and the wood, thus saturated withwater so frequently, had no chance of getting dry. Tom thought,therefore, that the wooden framework, which he had constructed soas to tighten the leak, had been gradually swelling from the actionof the water; and the planks of the boat had been tightening theircracks from the same cause, so that now the opening was not nearlyso bad as it had been. Thus the boat, which once had been able tofloat him for a quarter of an hour or more, ought now to be able tofloat him for at least double that time.

Tom watched the boat very attentively while the tide was up; and,when at length it began to retreat, and leave it once more aground,he noticed that it was not more than half full of water. If anyconfirmation had been needed to the conclusions which he had drawnfrom seeing the improved buoyancy of the boat, it would have beenafforded by this. Tom accepted this with delight, as an additionalcircumstance in his favor; and now, having become convinced of thismuch, he set his wits to work to see if some plan could not be hitupon by means of which the boat could once more be made sea-worthy.

Tom's indefatigable perseverance must have been noticed by thistime. To make the best of circumstances; to stand face to facewith misfortune, and shrink not; to meet the worst with equanimity,and grasp eagerly at the slightest favorable change,--such was thecharacter that Tom had shown during his experience of the past.Now, once more, he grasped at this slight circumstance thatappeared to favor his hopes, and sought to find some way by whichthat half-floating boat could be made to float wholly, and bear himaway to those shores that were so near by. Too long had he beensubmitting to this imprisonment; too long had he been waiting forschooners to pass and to bring him help; too long had he been shutin by a fog that seemed destined never to lift so long as he washere. If he could only form some kind of a boat that would floatlong enough to land him on the nearest coast, all that he wishedwould be gratified.

As he thought over this subject, he saw plainly what he had feltvery strongly before--that the boat could not be sea-worthy unlesshe had some tar with which to plaster over the broken bow, and fillin the gaping seams; but there was no tar. Still, did it followthat there was nothing else? Might not something be found upon theisland which would serve the purpose of tar? There must be somesuch substance and perhaps it might be found here.

Tom now thought over all the substances that he could bring beforehis mind. Would clay do? No; clay would not. Would putty? No,and besides, he could not get any. What, then, would serve thisimportant purpose?

Tar was produced from trees. Were there no trees here thatproduced some sticky and glutinous substance like tar? There wasthe resin of pine trees, but there were no pines on the island.What then? These fir trees had a sort of sticky, balsamic juicethat exuded plentifully from them wherever they were cut. Might henot make some use of that? Suddenly, in the midst of reflectionslike these, he thought of the gum that is found on spruce trees--spruce gum! It was an idea that deserved to be followed up andcarried out. Thus far he had never thought of spruce gum, exceptas something which he, like most boys, was fond of chewing; but nowit appeared before his mind as affording a possible solution of hisdifficulty. The more he thought of it, the more did it seem thatthis would be adapted to his purpose. The only question was,whether he could obtain enough of it. He thought that he mighteasily obtain enough if he only took the proper time and care.

With this new plan in his mind, Tom retired for the night, andawaked the next morning by the dawn of day. It was still foggy;but he was now so resigned, and was so full of his new plan, thatit did not trouble him in the slightest degree. In fact, he was soanxious to try this, that the sight of a boat landing on the beach,all ready to take him off, would not have afforded him an unmixedsatisfaction.

He took his tin dipper, and went up at once into the woods. Herehe looked around very carefully, and soon found what he wanted. Heknew perfectly well, of course, how to distinguish spruce treesfrom fir, by the sharp, prickly spires of the former, and so he wasnever at a loss which trees to search. No sooner had he begun,than he was surprised at the quantities that he found. To anordinary observer the trunk of the spruce tree seems like any othertree trunk--no rougher, and perhaps somewhat smoother than many;but Tom now found that on every tree almost there were little roundexcrescences, which, on being picked at with the knife, came offreadily, and proved to be gum. Vast quantities of a substancewhich goes by the name of spruce gum are manufactured and sold; butthe pure gum is a very different article, having a rich, balsamicodor, and a delicate yet delicious flavor; and Tom, as he filledhis pan, and inhaled the fragrance that was emitted by itscontents, lamented that his necessities compelled him to use it forsuch a purpose as that to which this was destined. After four orfive hours' work, he found that he had gathered enough. He hadfilled his pan no less than six times, and had secured a supplywhich was amply sufficient to give a coating of thick gum over allthe fractured place. The tide, which had already risen, was nowfalling, and, as soon as the boat was aground, and the water out ofher, Tom proceeded to raise her bows, in precisely the same manneras he had raised the boat on a former occasion.

The next thing was to bring the gum into a fit condition for use.This he did by kindling the fire, and melting it in his tin pan.This would rather interfere with the use of that article as acooking utensil, but now that Tom's mind was full of this newpurpose, cooking and things of that sort had lost all attractionsfor him. As for food, there was no fear about that. He had hisbiscuit, and the lobster and shell-fish which he had cooked on thepreceding day were but partially consumed. Enough remained tosupply many more meals.

The gum soon melted, and then a brush was needed to apply it to theboat. This was procured by cutting off a little strip of canvas,about a yard long and six inches wide. By picking out some of thethreads, and rolling it up, a very serviceable brush was formed.

Taking the gum now in its melted state, Tom dipped his brush intoit, and applied it all over the broken surface of the bow, pressingthe hot liquid in close, and allowing it to harden in the cracks.His first coating of gum was very satisfactorily applied, and itseemed as though a few more coatings ought to secure the boat fromthe entrance of the water. The gum was tenacious, and its only badquality was its brittleness; but, as it would not be exposed to theblows of any hard substances, it seemed quite able to serve Tom'swants.

Tom now went down to the drift-wood and brought up a fresh supplyof fuel, after which he melted a second panful of gum, and appliedthis to the boat. He endeavored to secure an entrance for it intoall the cracks that did not seem to be sufficiently filled at thefirst application, and now had the satisfaction of seeing all ofthose deep marks filled up and effaced by the gum.

One place still remained which had not yet been made secure againstthe entrance of the water, and that was where the planks gaped openfrom the blow that had crushed in the bows. Here the canvas thatwas inside protruded slightly. Torn ripped up some of the canvasthat was on the tent, and taking the threads, stuffed them in theopening, mixing them with gum as he did so, until it was filled;and then over this he put a coating of the gum. After this anotherpan, and yet another, were melted, and the hot gum each time wasapplied. This gave the whole surface a smooth appearance, thatpromised to be impenetrable to the water.

The gum which he had collected was enough to fill two more pans.This he melted as before, and applied to the bows. Each newapplication clung to the one that had preceded it, in a thick andquickly hardening layer, until at last, when the work was done,there appeared a coating of this gum formed from six successivelayers, that was smooth, and hard, and without any crack whatever.It seemed absolutely water-tight; and Tom, as he looked at it now,could not imagine where the water could penetrate. Yet, in orderto make assurance doubly sure, he collected two more panfuls, andmelting this he applied it as before. After this was over, he madea torch of birch bark, and lighting this, he held the flame againstthe gum till the whole outer surface began to melt and runtogether. This served to secure any crevices that his brush mighthave passed by without properly filling.

The work was now complete as far as Tom could do it; and onexamining it, he regretted that he had not thought of this before.He felt an exultation that he had never known in his life. If he,by his own efforts, could thus rescue himself, what a cause itwould be always after to struggle against misfortune, and risesuperior to circumstances!

As to the voyage, Tom's plan was the same that it had been on aformer occasion. He would float the boat at high tide, and thenpush off, keeping her near the shore, yet afloat until ebb tide.Then, when the tide should turn, and the current run up the bay, hewould put off, and float along with the stream until he reachedland.

According to his calculations it would be high tide about two hoursafter dark, which would be some time after ten. He would have tobe up all night; for the tide would not turn until after four inthe morning. But that did not trouble him. He would have too muchon his mind to allow him to feel sleepy, and, besides, the hopewhich lay before him would prevent him from feeling fatigue.

One thing more remained, and that was, to bring up a fresh supplyof fuel. The night would be dark, and while floating in the boat,he would need the light of the fire. So he brought up from thebeach an ample supply of drift-wood, and laid it with the rest.

When Tom's work was ended, it was late in the day, and hedetermined to secure some sleep before he began his long night'swork. He knew that he could waken at the right time; so he laidhimself down in his tent, and soon slept the sleep of the weary.

By ten o'clock he was awake. He found the water already up to theboat. There was no time to lose. He carried his box of biscuit onboard, and filled his pan with water from the brook, so as tosecure himself against thirst in case the boat should float awayfarther than he anticipated. Then he took his paddle, and got intothe boat.

The water came up higher. Most anxiously Tom watched it as itrose. The fire was burning low, and in order to make more light,Tom went ashore and heaped an immense quantity of wood upon it.The flames now blazed up bright, and on going back again to theboat, the water was plainly visible as it closed around the bows.

Most anxiously he now awaited, with his eyes fastened upon thebottom of the boat. He had not brought the old sail this time, butleft it over his tent, and he could see plainly. Higher came thewater, and still higher, yet none came into the boat, and Tom couldscarce believe in his good fortune.

At last the boat floated!

Yes, the crisis had come and passed, and the boat floated!

There was now no longer any doubt. His work was successful; hisdeliverance was sure. The way over the waters was open. Farewellto his island prison! Welcome once more the great world! Welcomehome, and friends, and happiness!

In that moment of joy his heart seemed almost ready to burst. Itwas with difficulty that he calmed himself; and then, offering up aprayer of thanksgiving, he pushed off from the shore.

The boat floated!

The tide rose, and lingered, and fell.

The boat floated still.

There was not the slightest sign of a leak. Every hour, as itpassed, served to give Tom a greater assurance that the boat wassea-worthy.

He found no difficulty in keeping her afloat, even while retainingher near the shore, so that she might be out of the way of thecurrents.

At length, when the tide was about half way down, he found the fireburning too low, and determined to go ashore and replenish it. Arock jutted above the water not far off. To this he secured theboat, and then landing, he walked up the beach. Reaching the fire,he threw upon it all the remaining wood. Returning then to theboat, he boarded her without difficulty.

The tide fell lower and lower.

And now Tom found it more and more difficult to keep the boatafloat, without allowing her to be caught by the current. He didnot dare to keep her bows near the shore, but turned her about, sothat her stem should rest from time to time on the gravel. At lastthe tide was so low that rocks appeared above the surface, and theboat occasionally struck them in a very unpleasant manner. To stayso near the shore any longer was not possible. A slight blowagainst a rock might rub off all the brittle gum, and then hischances would be destroyed. He determined to put out farther, andtrust himself to Providence.

Slowly and cautiously he let his boat move out into deeper water.

But slowness and caution were of little avail. In the deeper waterthere was a strong current, which at once caught the boat and boreher along. Tom struggled bravely against it, but without avail.He thought for a moment of seeking the shore again, but the fearthat the boat would be ruined deterred him.

There was a little wind blowing from the southwest, and hedetermined to trust to the sail. He loosened this, and, sittingdown, waited for further developments.

The wind filled the sail, and the boat's progress was checkedsomewhat, yet still she drifted down the bay.

She was drifting down past the north shore of the island. Tomcould see, amid the gloom, the frowning cliffs as he drifted past.The firelight was lost to view; then he looked for some time uponthe dark form of the island.

At last even that was lost to view.

He was drifting down the bay, and was already below Ile Haute.

XXI.

Scott's Bay and Old Bennie.--His two Theories.--Off to the desertIsland.--Landing.--A Picnic Ground.--Gloom and Despair of theExplorers.--All over.--Sudden Summons.

It was on Wednesday evening that the Antelope passed from thesunshine and beauty of Digby Basin out into the fog and darkness ofthe Bay of Fundy. The tide was falling, and, though the wind wasin their favor, yet their progress was somewhat slow. But the factthat they were moving was of itself a consolation. In spite ofCaptain Corbet's declared preference for tides and anchors, andprofessed contempt for wind and sails, the boys looked upon theselast as of chief importance, and preferred a slow progress with thewind to even a more rapid one by means of so unsatisfactory amethod of travel as drifting.

At about nine on the following morning, the Antelope reached alittle place called Wilmot Landing, where they went on shore andmade the usual inquiries with the usual result. Embarking again,they sailed on for the remainder of that day, and stopped at one ortwo places along the coast.

On the next morning (Friday) they dropped anchor in front of Hall'sHarbor--a little place whose name had become familiar to themduring their memorable excursion to Blomidon. Here they met withthe same discouraging answer to their question.

"Wal, we've ben over the hull bay mostly; but thar's one place,yet, an that we'll go to next."

"What place is that?"

"Scott's Bay.

"My idee is this," continued Captain Corbet: "We'll finish ourtower of inspection round the Bay of Fundy at Scott's Bay. Tharwon't be nothin more to do; thar won't remain one single settlementbut what we've called at, 'cept one or two triflin places of no'count. So, after Scott's Bay, my idee is to go right straight offto old Minas. Who knows but what he's got on thar somewhar?"